Tennis's 10 Greatest Rivalries

10. Ivan Lendl vs. Boris Becker

Head to Head: 11–10, Lendl

Essential Match: 1989 Wimbledon Semifinal, Becker 7-5 6-7 2-6 6-4 6-3

Ivan Lendl's game just wasn't suited for Wimbledon. He didn't possess enough touch at net or pop on his first serve to end points quickly. Besides his own limitations, Lendl's greatest nemesis on the lawns of SW19 was Boris Becker. The German was everything Lendl was not—charismatic, comfortable on grass and really blond. Most importantly, he had a huge serve, which proved too much for Lendl in the 1986 Wimbledon finals and again in the 1988 and 1989 semifinals. (During the last one, Lendl threw one of the saddest temper tantrums in tennis history.) Already not the cuddliest guy on tour, Lendl grew withdrawn, obsessed with Wimbledon. He even skipped the French Open in 1990 and 1991 to better prepare for the fortnight. It didn't end well, and Lendl retired in 1994 without capturing the one Slam missing from his sparkling resume.

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9. Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario

Head to Head: 28–8, Graf

Essential Match: 1989 French Open Final, Sanchez-Vicario 7-6 3-6 7-5

It was, in a way, David vs. Goliath. Graf, the preening regal champion known for her punishing forehand, and Sanchez-Vicario, "The Barcelona Bumblebee," a plucky dirtballer and the youngest member of a rich tennis clan. She could get any ball back in play and her matches with Graf were wars of attrition, slugfests that often reached deep into a third, and final, set. More often than not, Graf outlasted Sanchez-Vicario—Graf held a 5-2 edge in Grand Slam finals. The remarkable exception was the 1989 French Open Final when a 17 year-old Sanchez-Vicario handed Graf her first Grand Slam defeat since the 1987 U.S. Open.

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8. Serena Williams vs. Martina Hingis

Head to Head: 7–6, Williams

Essential Match: 1999 U.S. Open Final, Williams 6-3 7-6

Martina Hingis dominated the small window between Graf's decline and the emergence of the Williams sisters, winning five Grand Slams and spending 209 weeks at No. 1. She was a sly, tactical player, who often frustrated opponents with variety and consistency. There really hasn't been anyone like her since. She also talked a lot of trash. During the 1999 U.S. Open, Hingis said that the Williams sisters, "always have big mouths. They always talk a lot." Serena, however, had the final word both on and off the court: She basically called the Swiss Miss an uneducated lout and then defeated Hingis to win her first Grand Slam title.

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7. Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic

Head to Head: 14–9, Federer

Essential Match: 2011 French Open Semifinal, Federer 7-6 6-3 3-6 7-6

After Novak Djokovic topped Roger Federer at the 2008 Australian Open, Nole's mom, Dijana Djokovic, screamed "The King is dead," referring, of course, to the vanquished Federer. It was an insufferable action, better suited for a Little League sandlot, and it stuck with the mighty Federer. A few months later in Monte Carlo, Mama Djoker protested a line call from the stands. This time, Federer snapped back and told her to "Be quiet." There is more, of course, to this rivalry. Since 2007, Djokovic has been the petulant No. 3, eager to undo the Federer-Nadal stranglehold. He finally zoomed past Federer last year and consolidated his No. 2 ranking after starting this season 41-0. But with Djokovic poised to ascend to No. 1 in the world, Federer made a gallant stand last month at Roland Garros and defeated his adversary in a marvelous semifinal.

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6. Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe

Head to Head: 21–15, Lendl

Essential Match: 1984 French Open Final, Lendl, 3-6 2-6 6-4 7-5 7-5

John McEnroe still hasn't gotten over his loss to Ivan Lendl in the 1984 French Open final. McEnroe, who went 82-3 in 1984, was up two sets on the stoic Czech. His temper then got the best of him. Johnny Mac snapped at a noisy cameraman, hit a couple of shoddy approach shots, and next thing you know, was holding the runner-up trophy. The fact that they didn't really get along compounded the defeat. Then again, did either of these guys have any friends on tour?

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5. Steffi Graf vs. Monica Seles

Head to Head: 10–5, Graf

Essential Match: 1995 U.S. Open Final, Graf 7-6 0-6 6-3

By spring 1993, Monica Seles had won eight of the previous nine Grand Slams and usurped Steffi Graf as the best tennis player in the world. Seles played two-handed from both wings and hit powerful ground strokes with tremendous depth to all angles of the court. (You could hear the effort too. Her grunts were thunderous.) Then, in one of the great modern sports tragedies, she was stabbed by an obsessed Graf fan during a match in Hamburg, Germany. The injury wasn't severe but the emotional trauma resulted in a two-year hiatus. Seles returned in August 1995, won a warm-up tournament in Canada and challenged Graf in a memorable final at the U.S. Open later that summer.

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4. Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi

Head to Head: 20–14, Sampras

Essential Match: 2001 U.S. Open Quarterfinal, Sampras 6-7 7-6 7-6 7-6

The two Americans dominated the 1990s and while Sampras had the more decorated career on the court, Agassi made the more outrageous headlines. He married Brooke Shields and maybe dated Barbara Streisand, who dubbed him a "Zen Master." He also wore denim shorts, wad his chest, and oh that crystal meth confession! In his 2009 autobiography, Open, Agassi also outed Sampras as a bad tipper. Sampras took offense and rifled a ball at Agassi's head during a charity match. He then awkwardly joked that he was cheap because Barack Obama took all his money. Who knew Pistol Pete was a Republican!

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3. Bjorn Borg vs. John McEnroe

Head to Head: 7–7

Essential Match: 1980 Wimbledon Final, Borg 1-6 7-5 6-3 6-7 8-6

Righty vs. Lefty. Baseliner vs. Serve Volleyer. Two-handed backhand vs. Single-hander. Cold and aloof vs. fiery and emotional. The Viking God vs. the brat from Queens. Yes, it's been repeated ad nauseam that Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe were polar opposites but the contrast made for some thrilling drama and exquisite tennis. Their most famous match produced the greatest tiebreaker ever and ended with Borg capturing his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. McEnroe would win Wimbledon the following year and then push Borg into retirement. After falling to McEnroe in the 1981 U.S. Open finals, Borg conceded that he could never beat McEnroe or again top the rankings and abruptly quit from the sport at the age of 26.

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2. Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova

Head to Head: 43–37, Navratilova

Essential Match: 1984 U.S. Open Final, Navratilova 4-6 6-4 6-4

Again, two players wildly dissimilar in style, personality, and demeanor. Evert was the All-American girl who hugged the baseline. Navratilova, the lesbian from the Eastern bloc, was an expert at charging the net. They faced off about as often as the Yankees and Red Sox with Navratilova holding the slight edge—she won 13consecutive matches over Evert from 1982-1984, including the 1984 U.S. Open Final, which was played on the most celebrated day in tennis, Super Saturday. Both players won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and remain close friends to this day.

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1. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal

Head to Head: 17–8, Nadal

Essential Match: 2008 Wimbledon Final, Nadal 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7

The greatest rivalry in tennis has also been the greatest sports rivalry of the 21st century. Federer and Nadal have combined for 26 of the last 32 Grand Slams and in the pursuit of these titles, they have elevated each other's game and the entire sport. Nadal has become more versatile, adding a flatter forehand and more volleying to his game, while Federer is now a more dynamic clay court player than he was during his prime of 2004-2007. Every tournament begins with a glance at the draw to see what obstacles stand in the way of the desired outcome: Another Federer-Nadal final.

Ivan Lendl's game just wasn't suited for Wimbledon. He didn't possess enough touch at net or pop on his first serve to end points quickly. Besides his own limitations, Lendl's greatest nemesis on the lawns of SW19 was Boris Becker. The German was everything Lendl was not—charismatic, comfortable on grass and really blond. Most importantly, he had a huge serve, which proved too much for Lendl in the 1986 Wimbledon finals and again in the 1988 and 1989 semifinals. (During the last one, Lendl threw one of the saddest temper tantrums in tennis history.) Already not the cuddliest guy on tour, Lendl grew withdrawn, obsessed with Wimbledon. He even skipped the French Open in 1990 and 1991 to better prepare for the fortnight. It didn't end well, and Lendl retired in 1994 without capturing the one Slam missing from his sparkling resume.